Garment hanger construction



Nov. 19, 1968 w. 8. R002 Y GARMENT HANGER CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 30, 1966 Fig.

mvEN'roR. William 8. Rue:

Attorneys United States Patent 3,411,679 GARMENT HANGER CONSTRUCTION William B. Rooz, 36 Portola Ave., Daly City, Calif. 94015 Filed Aug. 30, 1966, Ser. No. 576,083 6 Claims. (Cl. 22395) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A garment hanger construction for supporting garments of a type having an end opening includes downwardly depending feet for engaging the inner margin of the end opening. The downwardly depending feet move independently toward each other from elongated lever arms which are hinged to the frame. Connection is made to the lever arms and movement applied thereto in a manner so as to amplify the amount of retraction obtainable from the slight upward movement of a yielding connection member. The yielding connection member absorbs and thereby interrupts any force applied at either of the two feet so that the other foot remains in place.

This invention relates -to an improved garment hanger construction of the general type as shown in my copending patent application Ser. No. 479,859, filed Aug. 16, 1965.

In general, this invention pertains to a garment hanger whereby the hanger may be manipulated by one hand to dispose retracted grippers into an end opening of a garment such as a skirt or the bottom of a trouser leg, or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a construction of the foregoing kind wherein only slight upward movement of a connecting bridle serves to retract the grippers a relatively great distance thereby making the device considerably easier to insert into the end opening of the garment or to ensure disengagement between the grippers and the garment material.

In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved garment hanger construction of the type adapted to engage an end opening of a garment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger construction wherein only a small compressive movement between a connecting bridle and the frame of the hanger serves to introduce a relatively large lateral displacement of gripping feet of a type adapted to engage the end opening of a garment.

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger construction of a type having gripping feet adapted to engage the end opening of a garment wherein the gripping feet are constructed to engage the fabric of the garment without damaging same and in a manner permitting immediate release thereof upon withdrawal of the feet.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger construction wherein gripping feet are adapted to enter and engagethe end opening of a garment and to be positively urged outwardly into engagement with the margin around such end opening.

A further object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger construction of a type adapted to be supported from a transversely extending clothes pole wherein a hook may be readily removable from the hanger construction, and wherein the hook when engaging the hanger construction is positively locked in place.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a garment hanger construction of essentially one-piece construction which can be molded with the exception of its supporting hook and an adjustable steel band employed to yieldingly urge the gripper feet outwardly.

These and other objects of the invention shall become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation View of a garment hanger construction according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view taken along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged front elevation detailed view of a portion of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a plan section view taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3; 7

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged front elevation view of a detail showing the means for capturing the stem portion of a supporting hook;

FIGURE 6 is an elevation section view taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged view in perspective of the detail of FIGURES 5 and 6;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged section view taken along the line 8-8 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 9 is a section view taken along the line 99 of FIGURE 8;

FIGURES 1012 show another embodiment of the construction of FIGURES 8 and 9 for locking a support hook into the hanger. FIGURE 10 is a view taken similarly to the view of FIGURE 8;

FIGURES 11, 12 are sectional views taken respectively along the lines 1111, and 12-12 of FIGURE 10.

In general, there has been provided a garment hanger for supporting garments such as skirts or trousers having an end opening therein. A garment supporting construction is generally disclosed herein comprised of a frame member and a pair of spaced apart and downwardly depending members forming garment engaging feet movable between mutually retracted and advanced positions for respectively entering the end opening of the garment and thereafter for engaging the margin around the end opening. The feet are carried by downwardly depending lever arms which are hinged relative to the frame. A resilient connecting bridle extends between the feet and is movable, as by grasping the frame and bridle between the thumb and forefinger of one hand and compressing same to move the bridle toward the frame thereby mutually retracting the feet. The connecting bridle is coupled to the lever arms at positions which serve to convert and significantly amplify the small upward displacement of the bridle in developing a substantially greater displacement for the retraction of the feet toward each other.

Preferably, the connecting bridle includes a resilient band or member which normally serves to urge the feet toward their advanced or outermost positions. Such mem ber is preferably of a non-relaxing material such as spring steel as distinguished from certain plastics which, upon being compressed for an extended period of time, tend to lose their resilience.

The foregoing general arrangement is shown in more particular detail with reference to the drawings as now to be described.

Means forming the frame such as the cross arm member 11 is formed with flanges 12, 13 which serve to impart rigidity to member 11. Member 11 is formed to depend downwardly so that the flange 12 turns inwardly at 14 for purposes described further below.

Means forming a pair of spaced apart and downwardly depending garment engaging feet assemblies 16, 17 are adapted to move between mutually retracted and advanced positions for respectively entering the end opening of a garment and thereafter engaging the margin around the end opening. Means for supporting each assembly 16, 17 and for moving same between its advanced and retracted positions includes a pair of downwardly depending lever arms 18, 19 hinged at their upper ends 21, 22. Downwardly depending parallel arms 23, 24 are similarly hinged at their upper ends so as to impart substantial parallelism to the retracting movement of assemblies 16, 17. The lower ends of arms 21-24 are hingedly connected to the upper surface of assemblies 16, 17, respectively. The foregoing hinged connections are readily effected by merely molding the garment hanger construction from a suitable plastic, such as the longer lived fatigue-resistant materials now available.

Each assembly 16, 17 includes a downwardly extending body portion 26 and laterally protruding annular ribs 27 spaced therealong. The ribs 27 are adapted to engage the garment margin around its end opening in a gentle yet secure manner whereby the fabric is engaged without damage and whereby ribs 27 are readily disengaged from the fabric upon being withdrawn.

Accordingly, each rib 27 includes a generally right cylindrical surface portion 27a bounded above and below by frustoconical surfaces 27b tapering away from each other and toward body portion 26.

Means forming a resilient connecting bridle extending between assemblies 16, 17 and movable toward member 11 so as to mutually retract assemblies 16, 17 comprises the cross ties 28, 29 connected at their outer ends respectively to lever arms 18, 19 and at their inner ends pivotally connected to angled arms 31, 32. The upper ends of arms 31, 32 are pivotally connected to member 11 in a manner similar to the connections made at points 21, 22. A resilient laterally extending grip member 33 serves to engage arms 31, 32 whereby upon being moved upwardly in the direction of arrow 34 member 33 withdraws assemblies 16, 17 to their retracted positions, as shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 1. Grip member 33 releasably engages arms 31, 32 as shown in FIGURE 2.

Thus, each arm 31, 32 includes a notch 36 formed to include divergent upper and lower bounding surfaces 36a, 36b. Notches 36 are disposed in confronting relation to receive the ends of grip member 33 whereby the downwardly and outwardly depending pins 37 engage holes 38 of member 33. Bounding surfaces 36a, 36b permit the end regions of member 33 a limited freedom of movement whereby inward movement applied to one foot assembly 16, 17 will not cause the other assembly 17, 16 also to move inwardly. Thus, after first engaging one assembly Within a garment opening, any direct maneuvering of the other assembly will not accidentally release the former.

As thus arranged, it will be readily evident that a very small displacement of grip member 33 in the direction of arrow 34, as shown in FIGURE 1, serves to introduce a relatively large retraction of assemblies 16, 17. This can be explained mainly by the location of pivotal connections 41, 42 substantially up from the lower ends of arms 18, 19. It will be readily evident that the higher up that connections 41, 42 are made, the greater will be the inward displacement of assemblies 16, 17. At the same time, the retracting force transmitted to arms 18, 19 is applied relatively directly by means of the angled formation of arms 31, 32 whereby the upward movement applied to grip member 33 substantially applies a direct pull via points 41, 42. At the sametime, the lower ends of each arm 31, 32 are drawn through bottom deadcenter which, it will be appreciated, constitutes the maximum lateral movement of the lower end of each arm 31, 32 for a given angle of rotation thereof.

Each assembly 16, 17 includes, at the top thereof, an outwardly projecting stop portion 43 formed to overhang ribs 27. As mentioned above, frame member 11 is formed to depend downwardly and terminate at 14 which is in the region of stop portion 43 of each assembly 16, 17. Thus, portion 43 normally engages the lower end of frame member 11 and forms an outwardly extending upper barrier which precludes further entry of the feet assemblies 16, 17 into the garment opening.

Grip member 33 is preferably of a material which will not relax under prolonged compression. A suitable material is spring steel. Thus, it has been found that if grip member 33 is made of certain plastics, if a skirt is hung from assemblies 16, 17 for a prolonged period of time, the plastic loses its resilience and ultimately fails to resiliently urge assemblies 16, 17 outwardly. Spring steel, on the other hand, serves to maintain a continued application of outward forces applied to assemblies 16, 17 whereby the garment is continuously positively engaged. It will be noted, however, that so long as ribs 27 continue to engage the garment, downward pull of the garment upon assemblies 16, 17 serves to move them outwardly in and of itself so that notwithstanding failure of the grip member 33 as above described, the garment will stay properly hung.

In order to support a garment hanger construction as described above, a readily removable hook 44 having a stem portion 46 terminating in an enlarged button 47 at its end, for purposes as will be described further below, is provided. Frame member 11 is formed with a pocket 48 open at one side of frame member 11. Pocket 48 is formed and dimensioned to snugly receive stem portion 46, as in channel 49, and to snugly receive button 47 therebelow. Thus, stern portion 46 is nested in channel 49 as assembled in FIGURE 1.

A flexible strap 51 in general extends upwardly from the other side of frame member 11 sufficiently so as to be bendable across frame member 11 for closing the open side of pocket 48. Strap 51 includes an opening 52 through which button 47 can pass before strap 51 is bent across frame member 11.

Means for locking stem 46 securely in place while permitting hook 44 to swivel, in general, includes a passage formed through frame member 11 having relatively sharp oppositely disposed lips 53 formed within the passage so as to engage a pair of spaced apart and tapered locking members 54. Each looking member 54 is formed with a detent 56 whereby when strap 51 'has been bent across frame member 11, members 54 enter and engage lips 53 thereby holding strap 51 in its bent-over disposition.

Means for positively locking members 54 in the above condition include a wedge member in the form of a cylindrical projection 57 pivotally connected at 58 and formed with a detent 59 whereby upon being depressed downwardly and into the opening which extends through frame member 11 passes into the spacing between members 54 and thereby wedges them apart, as best shown in FIGURE 9. Thus, member 57 forcibly spreads members 54 apart and locks them apart in their engaged condition. It should be further observed that as thus arranged both sides of the hanger construction are relatively flush and so as to leave no projections in the region of stem 46.

The upper surface of members 54 serves to receive button 47 thereon, as shown in FIGURE 8. The uppermost surface of wedge member 57 lies below the level of button 47 and is thereby protected from receiving applied forces via stem 46. In this manner, wedge member 57 will not be forced out of engagement from between members 54 as might otherwise possibly occur notwithstanding engagement of detent 59 with the cooperating lip 61 (FIGURE 6).

Another preferred construction for locking hook 44 to frame 11 is shown with reference to FIGURES 10, 11 and 12. A mushroom-shaped member 63 carried by strap 51 is formed to include a frustoconically shaped head portion 64 and a stem portion 66 supporting head portion 64 from strap 51. Head portion 64 is formed with a relatively sharp rear edge 67 for engaging (and to be retained by), the transverse surfaces 68 formed on the ends of a pair of opposed yieldable leaves 69, 71.

Leaves 69, 71 are mounted in face to face relation within the passage formed into frame 11 and are arcuate in cross-section to form a hollow frustoconical bore having converging side walls at the inner end thereof. The bore thus formed is disposed to receive head portion 64 as strap 51 is folded fully over frame 11. Leaves 69, 71 are yieldably spreadable at the inner end of the bore whereby insertion of head portion 64 may be continued until the relatively sharp edge 67 of head portion 64 passes beyond the end surfaces 68 of leaves 69, 71. In this manner the ends of leaves 69, 71 form detents for locking the member 63 in position, thereby retaining strap 51 in its folded-over position.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily evident that there has been provided an improved garment hanger construction of a type whereby it can be manipulated in one hand and that hand used to squeeze grip member 33 toward frame member 11 thereby withdrawing the feet assemblies 16, 17 considerably. It will be further evident that the hook is readily releasably engaged by the garment hanger construction and that the construction can be molded essentially as a unitary article requiring only the introduction of a hook 44 and a grip member 33.

It will be readily evident that various changes in the form and detail of the invention may be introduced by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a garment hanger for supporting garments of a type having an end opening therein, a garment supporting construction comprising a frame member, a pair of spaced apart and downwardly depending members forming garment engaging feet movable between mutually retracted and advanced positions for respectively entering said end opening and thereafter engaging the margin around same, means forming downwardly depending lever arms independently hinged relative to said frame member for pivotally supporting said feet, yielding connecting means extending between said feet and movable towards said frame member to retract said feet relative to each other for accommodating entry into said end opening by said retracted feet, said connecting means being coupled to said arms at positions therealong serving to convert and amplify displacement toward said frame member to develop a substantially greater displacement for the retraction of said feet, said connecting means serving to yield and interrupt the transmission of force from one of the feet to the other.

2. In a garment hanger for supporting garments of a type having an end opening therein, a garment supporting construction comprising a frame member, a pair of spaced apart and downwardly depending members forming garment engaging feet movable between mutually retracted and advanced positions for respectively entering said end opening and thereafter engaging the margin around same, means for supporting and retracting said feet, each of said feet including a downwardly extending body portion and portions adapted to laterally engage the garment margin around said opening, an outwardly projecting stop portion overhanging the last named said portions, said frame member depending downwardly and terminating in position adjacent said stop portion of each foot and normally engaging same and further forming an outwardly extending upper barrier limiting further entry of said feet into said garment opening.

3. In a garment hanger, means forming a frame adapted to support garments and a readily removable 'hook for supporting said frame, said hook having a stem portion with an enlarged button at the end thereof, said frame including a pocket therein open at one side of the frame to snugly receive said stem and said button nested therein, a flexible strap extending upwardly from the other side of said frame sufficiently to be bendable across said frame for closing said one side, said strap including an opening formed therein in that portion of the strap extending across the frame, said opening serving to pass the button and stem of the hook therethrough, and means for locking said strap in its closed position, the last named means including a passage formed through said frame, relatively sharp lip means formed within said passage, tapered means formed with a detent and carriedby said strap to enter said passage and engage said lip means when said strap has been bent across said frame, and a wedge member hinged to be pivoted from said other side of said frame to forcibly deflect and lock said tapered means after the detent has engaged said lip means.

4. An article according to claim 3 wherein said lip means comprises oppositely disposed lip portions formed within said passage, said tapered means comprises a pair of spaced apart and tapered members each formed with a detent and carried by said strap to enter said passage and engage said lips, and said wedge member is hinged to be pivoted into the spacing between said tapered members to forcibly spread and lock the tapered members apart.

5. An article according to claim 4 wherein the upper surface of said spaced apart members serves to receive said button thereon, the uppermost surface of said wedge member lying therebelow and protected from receipt of forces therefrom.

6. In a garment hanger, means forming a frame adapted to support garments and a readily removable hook for supporting said frame, said hook having a stem portion with an enlarged button at the end thereof, said frame including a pocket therein open at one side of the frame to snugly receive said stern and said button nested therein, a flexible strap extending upwardly from the other side of said frame sufiiciently to be bendable across said frame for closing said one side, said strap including an opening formed therein in that portion of the strap extending across the frame, said opening serving to pass the button and stem of the hooktherethrough, and means for locking said strap in its closed position, the last named means including a passage formed into said frame, a mushroom-shaped member carried by said strap including a frusto-conically shaped head portion being formed with a relatively sharp lower edge, a pair of opposed resilient leaves disposed within said passage and forming a hollow bore with converging sidewalls disposed to receive said head portion into said bore, said leaves being yieldably spreadable at the inner end of the bore by insertion of said head portion into said bore said inner end being formed to include a transverse surface disposed to engage the undersurface of said head portion after said head portion has been fully inserted into said bore.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,053,633 9/1936 Raterrnan 223-88 2,332,203 10/ 1943 Chidley 223 2,551,686 5/1951 McDonald 223-88 FOREIGN PATENTS 431,013 6/ 1935- Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner. 

